Modena to Announce Discipline on Judge's DUI Stop

Bibb County's sheriff will announce Thursday whether he'll discipline the officers who reportedly let a judge drive home after he failed a DUI test.

Jerry Modena has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. Thursday, according to a spokesman Sean DeFoe.

He said Modena is meeting Wednesday with the officers involved in the traffic stop for Bibb County Superior Court Judge Howard Simms.

The sheriff says Simms registered a .083 on a breathalyzer test -- above the normal standard for drunken driving.

In a statement earlier this week, Modena said a deputy failed to follow procedure by following through and giving Simms a roadside sobriety test. Then, Modena wrote, a Bibb County captain used "poor judgment" by following Simms as the judge drove himself home, about 5 miles.

Last week, Simms released a statement on the incident. He admitted fighting alcohol addiction and said he would check into a rehab facililty.